Venting/talking through listening or helping

           Lately there have been a few people in my life that are having a hard time with one thing or another. I wish I could help, but I know I can't. I have noticed that when I listen to someone would like to think that I'm helping them. Does just listening really help?
            I have friends that I talk to that just listen to me and its nice to have that. I don't know if I just haven't noticed it before; but I have been personalizing things. I try to put myself in their shoes to see what I would do if I were in that situation. The last little while I haven't been able to successfully do that and come up with a constructive solution. I know there are some problems that their really isn't an answer to. I think my issue is that it makes me second guess what it is that I want to do.
           For the longest time I have wanted to be a councilor for middle school/high school age kids. With what I have seen in the last 6 months with kids in that age range I don't know if I could do it. I don't know what to do. I like to help. It's just who I am. I would like to think that my efforts have some positive results.
          I have wanted to be a councilor since middle school. I detoured from that for a while, but I have decided that I really want to be a councilor. I haven't taken any psychology classes and maybe that is why I feel this way. My minor is in Marriage and Family Studies. I really enjoyed those classes. I would like to continue with that focus. I just wonder if I would really be able to do that job well. Again maybe that is just because I haven't taken any classes to really prepare me for that job. I guess I just don't know what to do. Do I take a couple classes in that field to see if I still want to do that? But then at the same time I don't want to waste money on classes that I wont need. I guess there isn't any way around that.
        I have my bachelors degree and I'm proud to have accomplished that. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to earn it. Its in University Studies with a minor in Marriage and Family Studies and clusters in Child Studies, and English. What do I do with that degree? To become a councilor I would need to go back to school and get my Masters Degree. I think I'm just feeling a little lost and unsure. I have been thinking about what I'm going to do after Aron is in school. I know its 5 years away, but watching Myla turn 6 and Savannah is almost 5 I know how fast those years can go by.
        I have been asked if Logan is going to start school, and he's not for another 2 years. That question just gets me thinking of what I'm going to do when that time comes. I know I still have a lot of time to think about it. I guess I'm just trying to get my thoughts down and figure out where to go from here. 

Teeth, Tears, and Testimonies

Myla and her tooth box

 Today at school Myla pulled out her second loose tooth! She now has a gap on her bottom teeth. She has been so excited about losing teeth and being able to get 'surprises' from the tooth fairy.

I'm posting about Myla's teeth tonight because I wanted to share an experience that happened tonight. I don't know how it happened, but Myla lost her tooth. Not just out of her mouth but from the little blue box it was in when she came home from school. The box was on her bed, but the tooth had fallen or been taken out. She was so sad!! I mean complete meltdown, crocodile tears and everything.

I sat down on her bed and gave her a big hug and told her that if we said a prayer that Heavenly Father would help us look for it and we would be able to find it and then I asked her if she wanted to say a prayer. She said yes. I then asked if she wanted to say it or if she wanted me to say it. She wanted me to say it. 

I said a prayer that we would be able to find her tooth. After I finished the prayer I asked her "Where do you think we should look?" She answered
"Under my bed" I told her ok and we pulled everything out from under her bed and we didn't find it. I asked her if she wanted to look in my room and she said yes.

While we were looking in my room for her tooth Dave was pulling her bed apart. Mattress and everything! I was nursing Aron in the glider in our room and all I can hear is excited squeals from Savannah. 

They had found Myla's tooth; under her bed. It was by the toy chest next to her bed is why I didn't see it when I was helping her look. She was so happy to have found it. I told her that we needed to say another prayer now to tell Heavenly Father "Thank you" for helping us find her tooth. We did and I was very happy to see how happy and grateful she was for finding her tooth.

It strengthened my testimony and I hope it will help her gain one of her own that prayers work and our Heavenly Father loves us. I'm so grateful that I could use this experience as a teaching opportunity for my kids. Even something as small as a tooth is a big deal to our Heavenly Father when its important to us.

       This isn't going to be the most interesting post, but I figured I needed to post something. I haven't taken any cute pictures worth posting since christmas so this wont have any pictures either. We are getting over the end of the stomach crud again at our place. Savannah and Logan had it this last week and Aron is starting to get congested. I will be glad when this season is over it seems like this year we have been getting  more sick. Different place different germs I guess. With me baby sitting I'm sure there is more circulation of germs that way too. One thing that was really amazing and reaffirmed what I already knew was when Logan was sick he was holding his ear and saying "ouchy" I thought he had an ear infection. It was after the clinics had closed so I just gave him some medicine and I was going to take him to the Dr. in the morning. Dave gave him a blessing that night before putting him to bed and Logan slept the whole night and didn't complain about his ear anymore. The best part was a couple days later Logan found Dave's oil vial on his keys and found Dave then started patting his head with the vial. :) It melted Dave's heart. Its so great that he was able to recognize that the blessing helped him feel better. I love the Priesthood!

        Well with Logan getting sick he wasn't eating much, I thought once he starts to feel better he would start eating again. NOPE!! I guess I will just have to figure out how to deal with a picky eater now. Usually even when Logan is sick there are a few foods that he will still eat. This last time he wouldn't even eat those and forget introducing new foods. I feel bad that he is hungry sometimes, but I want him to eat when we do and not snack all day. His terrible two stage has started as well. So when he is in a good mood it's really good, but heaven forbid he doesn't get his way. I almost forgot what it was like to have a 2 yr old. At least he is doing really well with potty training. When he isn't wearing underwear or a diaper he does really well, but when I put pants on him again that is when he 'forgets' to go in the bathroom. For just turning 2 he is still doing really well so I guess I shouldn't be worried about it.

        Savannah and Myla are still up to their regular routine. Getting back into the swing of it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be after Christmas break. Myla was excited to go back to school and so was Savannah. With a new semester I have a new schedule for babysitting as well. Its not too different, but its more consistent with the time that the mom is done for the day.

      Aron is rolling over regularly now and is starting to become a little chatter box. I forget how much a simple smile from a baby can make everything better. I like to lay on the floor with Aron and we will 'talk' for a while and it will just brighten my day no matter how stressed I feel. There are some days where I just look at my kids and am in awe at how much I love them. I didn't know there was enough room in my heart for all the love I have for them.

Aron and November

Only a few hours old

      Aron Brady joined our family on October 26. He was 7 lbs 3oz and 19 in long. I was induced with him at the hospital in Lynchburg VA. It was the longest stay at a hospital for a birth I have had. So he was born on Friday and I came home with him on Sunday. The first two weeks he was home I was worried that he would get sick. The stomach bug went back and forth between everyone in the family. I was really glad when we were all over it.

Aron 1 day

      The first week of Aron's life my parents were here to help me out. It was so great to see them and the kids enjoyed seeing them too. I was babysitting at the time too, so it was really nice to have the extra help getting used to having 6 kids for most of the day. My mom was able to help me get used to a new routine with the kids, laundry, and dishes. It was harder to tell them goodbye this time because I knew that it would be a long time before we would be able to see them again. I am just grateful for the modern technology like Skype and internet that make it easier to keep in touch.

Introducing Logan to Aron

           Logan has been a great big brother! When he first came to the hospital he was glad to see me, but once he saw Aron he gave him a hug. His attention span for him still isn't too long, but I can't expect much more from him right now.
          Logan is doing really good with potty training right now too. I need to keep reminding myself that he isn't 2 yrs old yet so for him to have only 1or 2 accidents a day is really good. Its hard for me to believe that he will be 2 on Sunday. I will post about it after we celebrate. Its been fun to see how Logan has changed in the last year. We have been really busy and there have been a lot of changes. 

Introducing Myla to Aron

Myla has always been a great big sister and has been a great helper with Aron. The firs thing Myla said after she saw him was "Look at his tiny fingers! They are so cute!" She is loving Kindergarten and is becoming quite the little artist. She is doing really good at her letters and numbers. Her Kindergarten class participated in a "Pow Wow" at school. She had so much fun dressing up like an Indian.

Myla at her Pow Wow

Now that is December and things are starting to wind down for the semester we have been trying to get things ready for Christmas and Logan's Birthday. Babysitting takes up a lot of my day and energy, but I like to think that I'm helping out the mom of the kids :) I don't know how she does it being a single mom going to school and working. I think all single parents who invest so much of themselves in their kids are amazing.

6 weeks 12/7/12

        Aron is 7 weeks old today and is starting to  interact more and start to make noises. Its a bitter sweet thing with Aron. Knowing that he is our last one makes all the 'firsts' very special. At the same time it is nice to know it will also be the last time we have to deal with waking up every two hours to feed him. I love our little family or rather not so little anymore :)

I will try and post again next week with pictures from Logan's Birthday.

Short update

So I really need to be better about writing on my blog. A lot has happened in the last few months. I will write again soon I hope with another update about our new little baby. I'm due on Friday with our fourth child! I am hoping that he will come sooner than later, but you can never really know unless there is a scheduled induction or c-section. I have to admit it makes me nervous to have this baby, but I think that is only because this is the farthest I have ever lived from the hospital that I will be delivering. Also because Dave works 20 minuets even farther from the hospital than we live. I am hoping that at my appointment today that my body has started the process of labor already so we can schedule an induction. I was induced with Logan and it was nice to be able to plan everything out for the other kids in advance and have everything like that figured out.

I would post pictures, but the camera is currently put away in the hospital bag and I'm afraid if I take it out I will forget to put it back. So I will post pictures later with another post. Hopefully the new post will be about the addition of the newest member of the family. I can't wait to meet him! I have to admit I am having fun being pregnant this time, but I'm ready to see what he looks like and hold him in my arms. Once the stress and dust settled from Dave losing his job in Colorado and finding the one here in Virginia, and the move out here the reality of being pregnant set in a little deeper. Its like we got to Virginia and I realized I was in my 3rd trimester and it was if a light came on..."Your going to have another baby" and not only that but I didn't have anything set up for him yet.

I will try my best to post another update soon!!

Update!!

Logan’s Birthday



Eating his cake



Now that Logan is 13 months old I thought I would finally get around to writing about his birthday. It was a great day. Even though I Logan didn’t really know what was going on we still had fun with his cake and his present. We didn’t do much for his birthday this year because it was so close to Christmas and with bad planning on my part, we didn’t have much to give him. That just means we can be better prepared for his next birthday. Logan liked his stuffed dog we gave him so that is all that really mattered to us. I put it in his crib at night and he cuddles with it as he goes to sleep now, so I think it was a great birthday for him. Myla and Savannah had more fun with the birthday cake. I enjoyed making it for him. It took a little longer than just a regular cake, but I’m glad I made it for him. One of Logan’s nicknames right now is “Logan Bear” so it only seemed fitting to have his cake in the shape of a bear. I used the cake pan I got from my mom because she used to make these kinds of cakes for me and my siblings on our birthdays. 

12 mo pics

His cake







Christmas

Logan and Daddy on Christmas

This Christmas it was our turn to go to Wyoming and spend the holiday with my family; unfortunately there was a blizzard here the Monday before Christmas so we were snowed in Lamar. That is okay because we were able to have a great day at home. I was disappointed that I couldn’t see my family but I will be making a trip to see them soon. I think the kids had a great Christmas day even though they were bummed they didn’t have primary or nursery that day. Dave and I got the kids matching outfits that matched a dress I made and a shirt that Dave has so I plan on doing our family pictures in these outfits. I’m excited to see how they turn out! We are getting them taken this Saturday by a lady that I go to MOPS with and I am hoping that the kids will cooperate with her. They are late to be Christmas ones, but because they are all red it will look like it. Maybe if I mail them out around Valentine’s Day it will work. I just think it’s time to update our pictures. It has been almost two years since our last ones and I know the girls have changed so much and we now have Logan.

Christmas presents from Auntie Brenn

Side notes

So Logan accidently spilled white grape juice on my laptop. It didn’t ruin the computer; which I’m grateful for, but now the keys are sticky. I tried to clean under the keyboard with rubbing alcohol and q-tips and it helped, but they are still a little sticky so I will have to try it again and see if it helps. It’s just a little frustrating to have to type when they keys are sticky. I am grateful that the computer works still, but it’s a little more annoying. J I think I figured out how to take the keys off and back on so I may try and take them off and soak them in water and rubbing alcohol.

I have to say with recent events that I am so grateful for my friends and family.  I didn’t realize how much my friends mean to me until I don’t talk to them for a while. Dave tells me that I am all the friends that he needs and sometimes it makes me feel bad when I need to get out with my friends. Dave understands that I need to get out and just have girl time and it’s wonderful. So my friends if you are reading this I’m telling you thank you for your impact on my life. Even if you are far away it’s nice to know that I can count on you and I can talk/e-mail you if I need someone to talk to.

A few things

(Sidenote:Okay. I give up. I have been trying to organize pictures on this post for almost 20 min. I would have put more pictures on here, but I couldn't get them to go where I wanted them to. So I think there are plenty to look at for one post. I will post the rest of the pictures on Facebook. Now onto the post.)




11 months old!!

My baby is 11 1/2 months old. This last year has gone by so fast. We have been trying to get things ready for his birthday, but also trying to get things ready for Christmas. Its a good thing Logan is so little that he wont remember what a disaster this year will be for his birthday. We will plan better for next year. It has been so much fun watching his personality come through more and more every day. He is definately my little boy. He is a lot like his older sister (Myla), but he has his own weirness that he got from his parents. Example: today I was trying to get him to not touch the t.v. and he would point at it and I would tell him "no touching" and I would point at him. He pointed back at me and just started to laugh. So I would point at him again and he would just point back and laugh. We did this for about 5 min. Its so much fun to hear him laugh.



Before

So Logan's hair was getting long. It wasn't looking too bad, but it started to look like a mullet. After Dave said that he needed a haircut, I tried my best and I gave him his first haircut.

After

I didn't realize how long it really was until I put some in an envelope for his baby book. I think it was only really hard because after Thanksgiving it was one of his last 'firsts'. He is a little ham. All I did to cut his hair was put an attachment on the electric sheers and go over his head. When I put it at the base of his neck he just started to laugh. He is so tickelish it was fun. It wasn't as much of a challenge as I thought it would be. 

 

"It's Me!"


 Sometimes I don't like the fact that our driveway is only dirt becuase when its wet its really gross muddy, but I love it when the girls go out and play and draw in the dirt.


Playing outside

Its been so much fun to see Myla's imagination grow as she starts to play with different things.We were outside a couple days before Thankgsgiving and Myla was drawing in the dirt and she finished and was so excited she had to come show me what she had done. "It's me!" Then below it she had drawn mommy, daddy, and one for Savannah. We just took a picture of the one that you could see the best in the dirt. She was so proud of what she had done. I wanted to share. And of couse we can't take a picure of just one girl...Savannah wanted her picture taken too. 

Thanksgiving Pumkin Pie

  

I know its a week late, but it was a first for Logan. THANKSGIVING! We had a quiet day at home. We had the missionaries over for dinner along with our friend Julia. It was fun to spend some time with them. The girls had fun eating dinner. Savannah's favoite part was the cranberry sauce; just like her daddy. Myla liked the turkey and the mashed potatoes. Logan of course loved the mashed potatoes and the sweet potatoes I made just for him. When it came time for the pumkin pie Savannah just wanted the whipped cream. Myla seemed to like the pie and Logan was just ready to be out of his high chair.

 


First Thanksgiving

 I think one of the highlights of the day was when he was getting fussy becuase he wanted down all I had to do was get the camera out and he would start smiling and laugh at me. He likes the camera and its fun that all of my kids are so photogenic.